Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Environmental Photography Award 2024 Kicks Off
Such stunning Photos took the Prizes in the 2023 Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Environmental Photography Award, that we can’t wait to see the outcome of the 2024 Award.
Do you remember the sad, startling and truly amazing photographs of elephants that headed the prize list in 2023. There’s something about these majestic creatures that captures our imagination.
Jasper Doest’s “Fight to the Death” photo showed an elephant fighting for survival whose hip was shattered by a manganese-carrying train in Gabon’s Lopé National Park and could not be saved.
And then there were Elephants in almost Dali-like unreal positions hanging suspended upside down in the air which took another photo prize.
The photograph showed elephants being transferred from Liwonde National Park to Kasungu National Park, Malawi, under the supervision of conservation specialists. Everyone was relieved to hear the elephants were first put to sleep before being lifted using cranes, and put in trucks. They were eventually woken up during the journey.
The 4th edition of the Environmental Photography Prize
Fortunately The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is launching the 4th edition of its Environmental Photography Prize, in partnership with the SEK International University. The competition will be open for two months, from September 5th to November 5th, 2023, through the Environmental Photography Prize website. Participation is free.
Photographers, both professionals and amateurs, can submit up to five images in each of the five categories that illustrate different relationships between humans and nature:
1. Polar Wonders
2. Marine Worlds
3. In the Heart of the Forest
4. Humanity versus Nature
5. Agents of Change, Bearers of Hope
For the 2024 edition, the jury’s presidency has been entrusted to Alex Mustard, an English underwater photographer and marine biologist who was already a jury member in 2023. Sergio Pitamitz, a wildlife and conservation photographer, National Geographic collaborator, and member of iLCP – International League of Conservation Photographers, has been appointed as the President of the competition after two years of serving as a juror.
The Environmental Photography Prize has become a reference event in the landscape of nature photography contests. Its uniqueness lies in its holistic approach, celebrating the beauty of biodiversity while bearing witness to the harmful effects of human activity on the environment and highlighting the hopes carried by those committed to positive changes.
Environmental Photographer of the Year
The 2024 jury, consisting of seven internationally renowned photographers, will select the five category winners and, among them, the Environmental Photographer of the Year for 2024. They will also recognize two images per category with honorable mentions, and the finalist photos will be part of the Environmental Photography Prize 2024 selection, which will be showcased in large format exhibitions in the Principality, travel to other locations, and be published.
The prizes include €1,000 for each of the five category winners. The Environmental Photographer of the Year will receive a total prize of €6,000, including a €5,000 main prize and the category prize, along with the privilege of visiting the SEK International University research base in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador.
There are also two additional prizes: the People’s Choice Award (determined by online voting in early April) and the High School Students’ Award (awarded by high school students in the Principality, in collaboration with the Directorate of National Education, Youth, and Sports), each receiving €500. The names of all the winners will be announced during the opening of the exhibition in Monaco in June 2024.
One of the features of the Environmental Photography Event are its annual exhibitions of large format versions of the photos in Monaco. The Environmental Photography Prize has previously been showcased in Rome and San Marino in 2021, Madrid and Washington in 2022, and is currently running at the GoodPlanet Foundation in Paris until December 17, 2023.
The President of the 2024 jury, Alex Mustard, enthuses:
“… I discovered the Environmental Photography Prize in 2022, I loved its philosophy and I immediately registered. Photography, both powerful and accessible, bursts into our lives through books, magazines, prints or on our screens. When it comes to the natural world, we know that people are more inclined to protect what they know and love. This is why we photographers have an essential role to play in informing the public, bringing them new knowledge and sharing with them our unique emotions and experiences. A successful environmental photograph can serve as both a work of art and an activist slogan. At a glance, the best images can touch minds and hearts and make a meaningful difference to our planet.”